Introduction
We all know very well that the Intel Pentium 4 core is actually designed for various other products such as the Intel Xeon series of processors. However, Intel has managed to segment these products very well and not many know that they actually share the same core design. Much was revealed however when Intel decided to introduce Hyper-Threading to the desktop. Then, the Hyper-Threading technology was mainly relegated to only server processors. Its success in the server segment was so good that Intel decided to add it and enable it in their desktop processors. Although only newer processor steppings had the feature enabled, we later found out that most 'Northwood' Pentium 4 processors already had the feature built-in but it was never enabled.
This provided clue to Intel's processor core design and it actually showed some similarities. The next big revelation came when Intel released the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors when in fact, it's a 3.2GHz Intel Xeon processor with a large 2MB Level 3 cache. Though Intel reduced its pin count and pushed its front side bus frequency from 533MHz to 800MHz, it was nevertheless the same processor core which is used to power mid-range server systems. Now, if the Extreme Edition was based on the Xeon core, it goes to show that the processor possess the same Netburst architecture and bus design.
So, this brings us to ASUS' current workstation motherboard which is the PC-DL Deluxe. At first glance, it looks like a server board which uses Intel's own server based chipset such as the E7501 or E7505. However, if you look at it again closer, it's actually based on the high-end Intel 875P (Canterwood) chipset for the desktop. This ingenious redesigning of the Intel 875P chipset for use in a workstation and server motherboard brings a certain value and interest to the DIY community. Though it won't be as cheap as a regular desktop board, it's nevertheless an innovative design that brings the goodness of desktop features to the workstation and server segment.
The ASUS PC-DL Deluxe motherboard based on the Intel 875P chipset.
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Let's have a look at the board's technical specifications below before we continue :-
ASUS PC-DL Deluxe Technical Specifications
| Processor |
- Supports SMP (Symmetrical Multi-Processor) dual processors
- MPS (Multi-Processor Specification) rev 1.4 compliant
- Supports Intel Xeon processor up to 3.06GHz+
- Supports 533MHz FSB
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| Chipset |
- Intel 82875P (Canterwood) North Bridge
- Supports DDR 266/333 unbuffered non-ECC memory up to 4GB
- 533MHz front side bus
- Supports AGP 4X/8X (1.5V)
- Intel 82801ER I/O Controller Hub (ICH5R)
- Supports dual peer to peer PCI buses
- Supports 32-bit/33MHz PCI bus
- Supports dual channel Ultra ATA-100 ports
- Supports up to six USB 2.0 ports
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| System memory |
- 4 x 184-pin DDR SDRAM DIMMs
- Supports dual-channel DDR 266/333 unbuffered DIMMs
- Supports up to 4GB
- Supports memory modules from 64MB to 1GB
- Supports 2.5V DDR SDRAM
- Supports ECC/Non-ECC based 128MB to 4GB memory capacity
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| Storage |
- 2 x Ultra ATA-100 IDE ports supported by the ICH5R (up to 4 devices)
- Support for PIO, UDMA-33, UDMA-66, Ultra ATA-100 IDE devices
- 2 x SATA ports supported by the ICH5R (up to 2 devices)
- 1 x Ultra ATA-133 IDE port supported by Promise PDC20378 controller
(up to 2 devices)
- Supports RAID 0, 1, 10 and JBOD (together with its SATA devices)
- 2 x SATA ports supported by Promise PDC20378 controller (up to 2 devices)
- Supports RAID 0, 1, 10 and JBOD (together with its Ultra ATA-133
devices)
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| I/O Interface |
- 1x floppy connector (360KB - 2.88MB)
- 2x serial port
- 1x parallel port (SPP/EPP/ECP)
- 1x PS/2 keyboard
- 1x PS/2 mouse
- 6x USB 2.0 ports (4x ports in the rear, 2x ports via bracket)
- 2x IEEE1394a Firewire ports based on TI TSB43AB22A controller (1x
in the rear, 1x via bracket)
- 1x RJ-45 LAN port with LED
- Audio ports for on-board AD1985 audio controller (Mic, Line-In and
Line-Out)
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| Expansion slots |
- 1x AGP Pro 4X/8X graphics slot (1.5V only)
- 5x 32-bit/33MHz PCI slots, PCI 2.2 compliant
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| Power Management |
- Supports ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
- Supports Suspend to RAM (S3)
- WOR / Wake by PME / Wake by Alarm
- Power-on by switch, keyboard, mouse
- Power-off by Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/NT shut down and switch
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| Form Factor |
- ATX Form Factor : 12-inch x 9.6-inch
- Fits into regular ATX case
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| BIOS |
- 4Mbit (512KB) Flash ROM
- Award Flash BIOS with PnP, Green, DMI, ACPI and Enhanced Server BIOS
features
- Throttling mode support - system will automatically lower CPU speed
when overheated
- Multi-boot on SATA, LS120, ZIP, ATAPI CD-ROM, SCSI, IDE, USB, LAN
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In the package, you'll find the following :-
ASUS PC-DL Deluxe motherboard
ASUS driver CD
InterVideo WinDVD Suite (includes WinDVD, WinDVD Creator and WinRip)
4 x SATA cables
2 x 4-pin to two SATA power converter cables
2 x Ultra DMA-100/66 IDE cables
1 x Floppy drive cable
1 x Single-port IEEE 1394a bracket
1 x Two-port USB 2.0 with game port bracket
1 x Two-port S/PDIF out (coaxial and optical) bracket
2 x Metal backplates for CPU's heatsink retention bracket
ATX I/O shield
Bag of extra jumper caps
User guide
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